Human No More: Digital Subjectivities, Unhuman Subjects, and the End of Anthropology

by Neil L. Whitehead (Editor), Michael Wesch (Editor)

Turning an anthropological eye toward cyberspace, Human No More explores how conditions of the online world shape identity, place, culture, and death within virtual communities.

Online worlds have recently thrown into question the traditional anthropological conception of place-based ethnography. They break definitions, blur distinctions, and force us to rethink the notion of the "subject." Human No More asks how digital cultures can be integrated and how the ethnography of both the "unhuman" and the "digital" could lead to possible reconfiguring the notion of the "human."

This provocative and groundbreaking work challenges fundamental assumptions about the entire field of anthropology. Cross-disciplinary research from well-respected contributors makes this volume vital to the understanding of contemporary human interaction. It will be of interest not only to anthropologists but also to students and scholars of media, communication, popular culture, identity, and technology.

Genres: Anthropology, Science

253 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2012

Reviews

[Meytal Vainstub · Rating 4 out of 5]

fascinating, very well written.

[Anne Holappa · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://widerscreen.fi/numerot/2013-2-...

Kaksitoista kirjoittajaa ottaa Human no more -teoksessa kantaa siihen, mikä on antropologian nykytilanne aikana, jolloin suuri osa arjesta on tietotekniikan kanssa tekemisissä.

Omalta osaltaan Human no more jatkaa kulttuurin tutkimuksen nykytilan määrittelyn problematiikan käsittelyä. Teos ei varsinaisesti esittele ratkaisua esille nostettuun ongelmaan: miten antropologia pitäisi uudistaa. Stephanie W. Alemán siteeraa Christina Hinea vuodelta 2000: Virtuaalisen etnografian paradigman luominen on edelleen prosessissa.

[Anthony Bello · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected more stories about Anonymous and fewer escapist travelogues about Brazilian hippies and how much happier they are than the rest of us. This is a small book, but about a third of the stories feel completely out of place in a book whose cover looks like a greener version of The Vision. By contrast, the beginning and the middle are actually quite informative studies about the development of virtual spaces.